Safety appliance for scaling flagpoles.



.q. B. KIRBY.

SAFET Y- APPLIANCE FOR SCALING PLAGPOLES.

- APPLICATION mum uu 11, 1909.

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CORNELIUS IE. KIRBY, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO.

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR SCALING FLAGPOLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. May 11, 1909.

Patented July 19, 1910.

Serial No. 495,347.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CORNELIUS E. KIRBY, a c tizen of the United States of America, residlng at Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Appliances for Scaling Flagpoles, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a safety appliance for scaling flag poles, and has for its primary object to provide a novel device for frictionally gripping a pole for safely supporting a painter, flag-hanger, or persons scaling or working upon the pole.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel safety appliance, wherein positive and reliable means are employed for positively holding the device in engagement with the pole, particularly should the hoisting cable break.

A further object of this invention is to provide a simple and durable seat supporting clamp for poles that can be easily and quickly manipulated for adjusting the same relative to the pole, whereby a painter can safely ascend and descend without injuring the pole or causing the same to sway or vi brate by the weight of the painter.

These and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained by a clamping device which will presently be described in detail and claimed, reference being had tothe drawing forming art of this application, wherein there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that the structural elements thereof can be varied or changed without departing from the scope of the invention, as claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a flag pole showing the safety appliance upon said pole, Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the appliance removed from the pole, Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same, and Fig. .4 is a plan of the same.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 and 2 denote metallic straps, each strap having one end thereof provided with an angularly-disposed lug 3 and the opposite end with a threaded shank 4. The lugs 3 of the straps 1 and 2 are adapted to be detachably connected together by a bolt 5 and a nut 6, and that portion of said straps adjacent to the lugs 3 are curved to embrace a pole 7. The shank ends 4 of the straps are parallel and are connected together by two bars 8 and 9 which are spaced apart by sleeves 1O loosely mounted upon the shanks 4. The bars 8 and 9 are retained upon the shanks by nuts 11.

12 denotes a U-shaped metallic plate or band bolted or otherwise secured to the inner sides of the curved portions of the straps 1, 2, as at 13, and which is provided with a lining 14 of leather or other suitable material which will frictionally engage the pole 7, and at the same time prevent the metallic late 12 from injuring the surface of the po e 7.

15' designates a vertically-disposed metallic clamping member rovided near its upper end with a pair of laterally'disposed arms 16 which extend in opposite directions with respect to each other and each of which is provided with a rectangular opening 17. The free ends of the straps 1 and 2 project through said openings 17 and the size of the openings is such with respect to the height and thickness of the straps, that the member 15 can be shifted upon the straps land 2 and in a direction toward and away from the vertical edges of the plate 12.

The inner face of the member 15 is provided with a wedge-shaped piece of rubber or other resilient material 18, which frictionally engages the pole 7 when the member 15 is shifted toward the vertical edges of the plate 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The outer face of the member 15 is provlded with a wedge-shaped piece of leather 19 or other suitable material for a purpose to be presently referred to. One of the arms 16 near its outer end has attached thereto a .vertically'disposed ring 20 and the other arm 16 has connected thereto near its free end a vertically disposed rin 21. The lower end of the member 15 is formed with a depending loop or ring 22.

The bar 8 is provided with a centrallydisposed yoke 23 which extends laterally with respect to the clamping member 15 and is formed with a beveled end 23. Adjustably mounted in the yoke 23 as well as extending in proximity to the clamping member 15 1s a triangularly-shaped locking member or wedge 24 having its lower end provided with a hook 25 and its upper end at its inner portion with a pair of right-angularly extending and oppositely disposed arms 26. The locking member or wedge 24 their inner ends.

The reference character 27 indicates the cable which passes over the pulley at the upper end of the pole 7 and has one end portion passing through and connected to the ring 20, then around the plate 12 beneath the lugs 3 and then through the ring 21 and meeting the cable at the starting point, the knotis then adjusted at the center of the device.

The reference character 28 indicates a seat or scaffold suspended from the hook 25 of the locking member or wedge 24.

The safety appliance is particularly designed for tapering flag poles and when upon the pole, the weight of a painter upon the seat 29 will maintain the locking member or wedge 24 between the yoke 23 and the clamping member 15, the said locking member or wedge hearing against the strip of leather 19 upon the member 15 and binding the clamping member 15 and plate 12 against the pole, whereby the seat 29 will be safely held relative to the pole.

The manner in which the safety appliance is used is as follows: The straps 1, 2 with the plate 12 attached are placed in position about the pole 7, the clamping member 15 is then mounted upon the shanks 4 and positioned in engagement with the pole 7. The locking member 24 is then mounted in the yoke 23 and also positioned against the clamping member 15. Prior to the positioning of the locking member 24 the bars 8 and 9 spaced by the collars 10 are mounted upon the shanks 4. After the locking member 24 has been mounted in position, the nuts 11 are secured to the shanks 4 to retain the plates 8 and 9 and collars 10 thereon. As the device is arranged at the bottom of the pole, the locking member 24 is elevated, that is to say, to a position whereby the hook 25 will be arranged in proximity to the shanks 4. The operator takes one end of the flag line and passes it through the ring 20, then around the plate 12, under the lugs 3, then through the ring 21, meeting the main portion of the rope at the starting point, then adjusting the knot at the center of the device. When in such position the back of the device now acts as a counter-balance for the front. The operator then adjusts his tackle, which consists of two double blocks and a rope, the top block is attached to hook 25 and to the bottom block is secured a tag line. This tag line will be long enough to reach from the top of the pole to the roof. The appliance is then elevated by the flag rope, just the same as one would hoist a flag and as it goes up the locking member 24 gently slips downward there being just enough weight 011 25 to pull it gradually downward. The least pull on the tag line will bring it to a stop. When the device is elevated to the required height, the operator holds the fall line of the tackle and pulls down on the tag line attached to the bottom block, and that fastens the device in position. The operator now lets go of the fall line and pulls down on the tag line, and down comes the bottom block. The paintcrs seat is attached to the bottom block and a painter proceeds to pull himself up. To descend the pole, it is assumed that the painter has painted that portion of the pole above him and desires to descend, the flag line is removed from around the device and attached to the arms 26, the operator now takes the tag line and ties it to the eye 22 and drops the line to the roof. The operator then wraps his legs around the pole and by pulling on the tag line and letting out the flag line, the appliance can be lowered, as is obvious.

VVha't I claim is 1. In a safety appliance for poles comprising straps adapted to embrace the pole, a bar connecting said straps, a clamping member loosely mounted upon said straps and provided with means whereby a cable can be attached thereto, a wedge interposed between said bar and clamping member and having a hook at one end, and a pair of oppositely extending arms projecting from the other end of the wedge.

2. A safety appliance for poles comprising straps adapted to embrace the pole, a bar mounted upon said straps, plates secured to the inner face of the straps, a laterally movable clamping member mounted upon the straps and adapted to engage the pole, a wedge interposed between said bar and said clamping member for binding said member and plates against the pole, means whereby a hoisting cable can be attached to said clamping member, and means whereby a hoisting cable can be attached to said wedge.

3. A safety appliance for sealing flag poles comprising a plurality of straps adapted to embrace said pole and connected together at one end, a bar mounted upon the free ends of said straps, a clamping member loosely mounted upon the straps inwardly of the bar and adapted to be shifted to engage the pole for clamping the appliance to the pole, said bar formed with a yoke, and a wedge mounted in said yoke and engaging said member for shifting it to clamping position when weight is applied to the wedge.

4. A safety appliance for sealing flag poles comprising a plurality of straps adapted to embrace said pole and connected together at one end, a bar mounted upon the free ends of said straps, a clamping member loosely mounted upon the straps inwardly of the bar and adapted to be shifted to engage the pole for clamping the appliance to the pole, said bar formed with a yoke, a wedge mounted in said yoke and engaging said member for shifting it to clamping position when weight is applied to the wedge, means carried by said clamping member whereby a cable can be connected thereto, and means carried by said wedge whereby the cable can be connected thereto.

5. A safety appliance for scaling flag poles comprising a plurality of straps adapted to embrace said pole and connected together at one end, a bar mounted upon the free ends of said straps, a clamping member loosely mounted upon the straps inwardly of the bar and adapted to be shifted to engage the pole for clamping the appliance to the pole, said bar formed with a yoke, a wedge mounted in said yoke and engaging sald member for shlfting it to clamping position when weight is applied to the wedge, a wed e-shaped strip of resilient material carried y the inner face of said member, and a wedge-shaped strip of flexible material carried by the outer face of said member.

6. A safety appliance for scaling flag poles comprising a lurality of straps adapted to embrace said pole and connected together at one end, a bar mounted upon the free ends of said strap, a clamping member loosely mounted upon the straps inwardly of the bar and adapted to be shifted to engage the pole for clamping the appliance to the pole, said bar formed with a yoke, a wedge mounted in said yoke and engaging said member for shifting it to clamping position when weight is applied to the wedge, means carried by said clamping member whereby a cable can be connected thereto, means carried by said wedge whereby a cable can be connected thereto, a wed eshaped strip of resilient material carried y the inner face of said member, and a wedgeshaped strip of flexible material carried by the outer face of said member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses:

CORNELIUS E. KIRBY.

Witnesses:

H. H. GEITGEY, A. E. ALBRIGHT. 

